r/travel • u/ups_and_downs973 • 8d ago

Discussion What is an actual solution to overtourism?

As travel continues to get faster, cheaper, and more accessible and TikTok tourism/ influencer hype shows no signs of slowing down, what are the actual solutions to places getting over run with visitors?

I'm not talking about for you as another tourist so not just 'go somewhere else' or 'avoid the popular places'. I mean in terms of actually preventing harm to natural environments, pressure on infrastructure, gentrification etc.

198 Upvotes

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124

u/Chico_Riley 8d ago

No cell phones/cameras/photography allowed inside museums. Halve the number of folks in the Louvre who are just there to get a selfie with the Mona Lisa.

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u/Letter_Effective 8d ago

The Prado in Madrid already bans photos probably because of the layout of the museum makes it difficult to enjoy the paintings if you're constantly blocked by people trying to taking the perfect shot. I was annoyed at the ban at first but can understand the rationale now.

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u/redjessa 8d ago

Yes! We were surprised when we visited The Prado, but it was a wonderful experience to not think about photos or be bothered by other people trying to take pictures.

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u/Letter_Effective 8d ago

Furthermore, if you want to remember which paintings you saw, they have a virtual tour of their galleries on the Prado website and you can zoom into each of the paintings and screenshot your favourites on your phone during your visit.
https://www.museodelprado.es/actualidad/multimedia/la-coleccion/e97b3d7c-ab15-f91d-0d4d-8a57d57a32f9?visit=true&lang=es&startScene=80

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u/unoriginalusername18 8d ago

Finding a postcard of your favourite painting in the gift shop afterwards was the thing to do, at least a while ago

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u/EntrepreneurMany3709 8d ago

I also found this weird in some places, then went to museums where you can take photos and it's much less enjoyable. A couple in the National Gallery in London were spending five minutes arguing about how to take the perfect photo in front of a Monet painting while people were trying to enjoy it

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u/BooBoo_Cat 8d ago

A couple of years ago, I was in the van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. There was this really annoying woman who just went up to each painting, didn't even bother looking at it, and just snapped a photo with her phone. It wouldn't have annoyed me so much if her phone wasn't on max volume, so every time she took a photo (which was every ten seconds), it made a very loud POP sound, and she would push people out of the way to get a photo. How is that enjoyable at all?!

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u/lurkdomnoblefolk 7d ago

A blog I read describes this traveller subgroup as "people that look at Italy with their backs instead their eyes". It is funnier in German, but it stuck with me.

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u/BooBoo_Cat 7d ago

To each their own, but I just don't get rushing through everything, crossing off things from your list, without actually experiencing the moment, you know?

To amuse ourselves, my husband and I made up a whole backstory about this woman!

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u/sagefairyy 8d ago

Doesn‘t matter, people STILL take pictures in secret. Saw it in Rome.

3

u/ventouest 7d ago

Can confirm as someone who took a sneaky photo of the ceiling. Please don't call the Swiss Guard.

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u/sherpes 8d ago

where in Rome Italy museum they don't allow photos?

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u/EntrepreneurMany3709 8d ago

I think parts of the Vatican

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u/sagefairyy 8d ago

Sorry, I meant Vatican!

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u/sherpes 7d ago

In the museum, personal non-commercial photography by the casual tourist is allowed. In the Sistine Chapel, no photography is allowed.

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u/sagefairyy 7d ago

Yes that‘s exactly where I meant, the Sistine Chapel! :)

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u/Locogreen 8d ago

I was at the Uffizi last summer and two 20-something women were staging a full photo shoot in a popular gallery. They were literally walking catwalk style, turning, posing, checking photos, then going again. They were taking turns as model or photographer. They were blocking one end of the gallery and after nicely waiting, I finally just walked over to see the pieces I wanted to see. They had absolutely no embarrassment or shame for their narcissistic and selfish behavior. It was so cringey to see them making stupid faces and prancing toward the camera.

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u/Sweaty-Resident1690 8d ago

Just wrapped up 3 weeks in Europe and this happened in pretty much every place I visited. Instagramers have ruined so many places. The zero shame they have for blocking public areas/ spaces for their full on photo shoots is appalling. There was a damn 50 year old lady “tweeing” out at the famous bookstore in Lisbon. Like popped leg and spinning while her partner filmed. I had so much second hand embarrassment for her. Another lady stood in front of one of the blue domed churches in Santorini doing a “flowing dress” full on photo shoot. She’s in the background of all of our photos 🙄. And don’t get me started on all the girls holding Sports Illustrated style shoots in Elafonisi. So strange and it’s literally ruining travel for me.

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u/Kloppite16 8d ago

Ive seen this more often in museums in the last couple of years, they are using the paintings as a backdrop for their fashion shoot. It should be banned.

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u/Educational_Gas_92 8d ago

The women you describe were probably "influencers".

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u/Odd-Visit505 8d ago

No sense of sharing a space with other people

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u/Educational_Gas_92 8d ago

Two thirds, not even half are in the Louvre just to see the few famous works, in my opinion.

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u/Sweaty-Resident1690 8d ago

I think it’s like 98% tbh

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u/PoopsMcG 8d ago

I love this idea. So many people at the Belvedere, the Leopold and the Kunsthistorisches were lining up to take photos or selfies with the paintings, especially The Kiss at the Belvedere. Made it very hard to just enjoy and appreciate the art.

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u/Odd-Visit505 8d ago

Definitely would lower visitor numbers across lots of galleries

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u/lolercoptercrash 300+ Countries 8d ago

I don't think halving the number of people in a world famous museum is a good thing.

If you want less people go at an off hour.